William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas

William Douglas
Marquess of Douglas
Predecessor	new creation
Successor	James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas
Father	William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus
Mother	Lady Elizabeth Oliphant
Born	1589
Died	19 February 1660 Douglas Castle
Buried	St Bride's kirk, Douglas, South Lanarkshire

William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and 11th Earl of Angus (1589–1660) was a Scottish nobleman.

William Douglas was the eldest son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus and his Countess, Elizabeth Oliphant, eldest daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant. His younger brothers were James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington and Sir Francis Douglas of Sandilands.

Shortly before William was born, his grandfather inherited the Earldom of Angus and Lordship of Douglas from a distant cousin; in 1591, his father in turn succeeded to the titles as 10th Earl, and the boy adopted the style of "Master of Angus" or "Lord Douglas".

The 10th Earl was a notable convert from state-sanctioned Presbyterianism to Catholicism, and the family were not trusted by the Kirk due to his religious position. The prestigious public duties he had inherited, holding the first seat and vote in the King's Council and parliament, leading the vanguard of the Scots army, and bearing the Crown of Scotland, also brought him into conflict with the Duke of Lennox, who had been granted a conflicting precedence and ceremonial role. The scandal of the Spanish Blanks in 1593-5 made Angus a rebel, and although he eventually recovered his position, and succeeded in defending his inheritance, he chose to go into exile in Paris in 1608 to obtain freedom of conscience.

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